


like heaven to touch

by davidbrewer



Series: coffee shop soundtrack [2]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: 10 Things I Hate About You was a formative experience, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, David Rose has no idea what to do with genuine affection, I will not be answering questions at this time, M/M, Patrick Brewer is a Button, RIP Heath Ledger, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29985186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/davidbrewer/pseuds/davidbrewer
Summary: David was at open mic night for the sole purpose of seeing Patrick Brewer.It was totally out of character for David to knowingly, willingly allow someone he was dating to sing at (or for, or just generally around) him… but that’s because he’d never gone out with Patrick Brewer before; David was now fairly sure those round, honey-drenched eyes could convince him to do unspeakable things.In this case, that ‘unspeakable’ thing likely involved being serenaded.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer & David Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Series: coffee shop soundtrack [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2205651
Comments: 19
Kudos: 118





	like heaven to touch

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of "[and all the silver moons](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29917485)," but it can be read as a stand-alone, as long as you know that this exists in a world where Patrick and David meet in a coffee shop. 
> 
> This is gonna end up turning into a coffee shop series. YOLO.
> 
> Title from "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

David was at open mic night for the sole purpose of seeing Patrick Brewer.

He was there because Patrick had asked him to be — they were going on a date afterward (!!!) — and Patrick had promised that sitting through his seventh straight open mic would be “worth it.”

The implications of that were, in a word, terrifying.

In several more words… it was totally out of character for David to knowingly, _willingly_ allow someone he was dating to sing at (or for, or just generally _around_ ) him… but that’s because he’d never gone out with Patrick Brewer before; David was now fairly sure those round, honey-drenched eyes could convince him to do unspeakable things.

In this case, that ‘unspeakable’ thing likely involved being _serenaded_.

Ugh, and David didn’t even have a project this time. Over the last few weeks, he’d worked on his final portfolio while young hipster hopefuls stood behind the mic. Now that it was done, he didn’t have a canvas to hide behind.

He could only sit there. And watch.

And try to keep his face perfectly neutral.

(That became very difficult when a young man in a pressed polo shirt “performed” spoken word poetry about the life of a paper plate — David was pretty sure it was a metaphor of some kind, but he couldn’t tell you what any of it meant.)

For the first time, though, Patrick sat _with_ him during the other performances, sipping his tea and sneaking glances at David’s face. It wasn’t even remotely subtle, and he was cuter than anyone had a right to be; David kept meeting his eyes while Patrick did this… this _thing_ with his face. His lips turned down, but it wasn’t a frown. It was a smile. It was an upside-down smile, which David was pretty sure Patrick invented because that shouldn’t make any sense at all. He hated it. And, by “he hated it” he meant, ‘it was his new favorite expression any human person has ever made.’

David kicked Patrick’s leg under the table in retaliation, and next thing he knew, they were practically playing footsie. What the _fuck_ was going on?

This felt like foreplay, but it wasn’t the kind he was used to. They weren’t silently teasing each other before they fucked in the café bathroom. They were just silently teasing each other. For… fun? Before Patrick got on stage with his cute little guitar and did something that would inevitably be embarrassing as fuck for David. But he was allowing it because he _was_ having fun, and because Patrick was stupidly nice and looked at him like he thought _David_ was nice. And that made David feel things. Like. Above the belt. It was all very new and he should’ve been running for the hills, but he couldn’t because it was fucking intoxicating.

The keyboard clinking on stage had become dull background noise, but David had to notice when it stopped, mostly because it was punctuated by Patrick’s chair scraping against the tile. He stood and, when he leaned over the table, David thought for a split second that he was going to kiss him. But he didn’t.

He just smiled and said, “Showtime, David.”

_Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck._

At least David knew Patrick was actually good at this. He couldn’t imagine how deep this dread would run if he were also concerned about whether or not Patrick could stay in key. That would’ve been too much to bear. The anxiety alone would have him burst into flames, he was pretty sure.

“I want to dedicate this song to someone new in my life.” Patrick’s voice came through the speaker and David wished he could melt into the floor. He attempted an internal chant of ‘ _don’t do it, don’t do it,_ ’ but the universe delivered a ‘ _nah, fuck you_ ,’ in the form of Patrick pointing in his direction and saying, “David Rose. ”

As if that wasn’t enough, he added: “Right over there. Can’t miss him,” and literally everyone in the stupid café turned to look at him.

Okay, and here’s the thing… That wouldn’t be the first time someone said something like that about David. He drew attention. He wasn’t subtle, and he was _a lot_. And, usually, when someone pointed that out, they were drawing attention to one of his many (many) flaws. It was another way to say that he was too much, that he needed to tone it down — but that’s not why Patrick said it. When Patrick said it, he said it fondly. With _reverence_. With almost… something like pride (or maybe even respect?) in his voice. David didn’t know what to do with that. He just awkwardly looked around the room and hoped that all those prying eyes would turn back to the stage already.

Luckily, he didn’t have to spend too much time thinking about it. Patrick started strumming his guitar and, as soon as he recognized the melody, David was sufficiently distracted. Everything else fell away and all he could think was… _This little shit._

 _“You’re just too good to be true,”_ Patrick sang, and David tipped his reddening face towards the ceiling. _“Can’t take my eyes off of you.”_ He squeezed his eyes shut, pulling his lips into his mouth again. “ _You’d be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much.”_ He could hear Patrick’s smile as he kept singing — _“At long last, love has arrived,”_ — undeterred — _“and I thank god I’m alive,”_ — a song that David had mentioned in passing two weeks ago, when they were chatting after the show.

“It was a formative moment,” David had said, gesturing emphatically with his pastry in hand. “I mean… Heath Ledger running across the bleachers and singing his pretty little heart out? That scene and Julia Stiles in one movie was almost too much, Patrick.”

Patrick remembered some dumb thing David had said during a throw-away conversation about movies they’d loved in high school. Naturally, David had brought up 10 Things I Hate About You… and _Fuck_ , there was something so weirdly _touching_ about the fact that Patrick had a) remembered that, and b) was actually standing up there, singing Frankie Valli because of it.

> _You’re just too good to be true…  
> _ _Can’t take my eyes off of you._

He could say that again.

David was pretty sure that there were still people in the café who were watching him, rather than Patrick, but David couldn’t think about that. Having Patrick watch him was overwhelming enough — his eyes locked on his face for nearly every word of the song. And it was… a lot. Like, a lot a lot. It was _so much_ , it should’ve freaked him out.

Well. It kinda did freak him out, but not… in a bad way.

Sure, he’d seen Patrick every week for the last two months, but he looked at him more meaningfully than someone David had dated for nearly five.

(Of course, Sebastien had been seeing other people for two of those months, but still. David’s point stood. Those eyes were a lot.)

And it was like Patrick knew exactly what he was doing, because the words of the song were just painfully perfect for the moment:

> _Pardon the way that I stare_   
>  _There’s nothing else to compare_   
>  _The sight of you leaves me weak_   
>  _There are no words left to speak_

David found himself wondering how this whole thing came to be. Did Patrick already know how to play this song? Had he done it before? Or did he learn it for David? Was he doing it just because of the movie, or… did he decide to do it after paying attention to the lyrics?

 _“But if you feel like I feel,”_ Patrick continued, and David was pretty sure he knew the answer, as Patrick sang directly to him — like he really meant it. _“Please let me know that it’s real…”_

> _You’re just too good to be true_   
>  _Can’t take my eyes off of you_

By the time Patrick finished the song (very impressibly belting the bridge, by the way, even though he was _not_ on a set of stone bleachers running from school officers), David’s eyes were moist and his smile was hurting his face. David was someone who liked playing coy — appearing 'too interested' had done him _no_ favors in the past — but there was no hiding his emotions as he clapped, shaking his head in disbelief.

And he didn’t even have a minute to recover, because Patrick leaned his guitar on the wall by the stage and walked directly to him.

“Based on your expression,” he said, casually sliding back into his seat across from David, “I’m going to guess you hated it.”

“I can’t believe you just used Heath Ledger and Frankie Valli against me.”

Patrick smiled. “Well, I considered an acoustic arrangement of WAP, but I thought that might be a little much for a first date.”

David couldn’t hold back his laugh, try as he might.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a fifth date serenade.”

“You think we’re gonna have a fifth date?” Patrick seemed pleased.

David’s lips pulled slightly to one side into a crooked little smile. “Well,” he said, “Let’s see how dinner goes. Where are you taking me, anyway?”

“I was thinking pizza.”

“Mmhm, yep.” David pulled his lips into his mouth as he nodded. “Excellent start.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you, somehow, have not seen 10 Things I Hate About You... 1) What the fuck are you doing? Where have you been? and 2) [Please watch Heath sing this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7N6kB11GpE).
> 
> Also — Sorry, Katey. xo.


End file.
